We talked about visiting Papua New Guinea for a long time. We finally got there September 2010. It's a land of diverse cultures, remote tribes, over 800 separate languages, 600 islands and some of the best diving spots anywhere in the world. We headed for Kimbe Bay, New Britain, for a 7 day liveaboard trip on the Febrina. We dived with about 9 other divers and Josie our dive master. Underwater, we saw some stunning corals and lots of pygmy seahorses, some found nowhere else. The second stop in our journey was at Tufi Dive Resort for some macro diving. Tufi was our favourite spot overall; we saw incredible creatures for the first time ever such as the Spanish Dancer, dwarf cuttlefish, pipefish, frogfish and so many nudibranchs. Steve and I are definitely hooked on macro ... read more

New Orleans - February 2010 We absolutely loved New Orleans and could easily have spent a few extra months there. We arrived just before Mardi Gras and got the chance to see some parades and join the celebrations on Bourbon Street, in the old French Quarter. People had the most amazing costumes and beads were flying everywhere. We met the friendliest people, heard the best music, made new friends and had a truly fantastic time. Everyone needs to check out New Orleans!!!! Highlights - Watching the Mardi Gras parades with Steve's parents and catching loads of beads, coins and stuffed toys. - Wonderful music: jazz, blues, rock, cajun, zydeco ... everywhere you go this city is alive with music - Spending Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) on Bourbon Street, partying and catching beads - Irish Day parade ... read more

Charleston Charleston is another beautiful old city, established in 1670. Originally "Charles Town", (after Charles II of England). We visited Boone Hall, one of America's oldest working plantations, established in 1681. A wonderful 3/4 mile long avenue of live oaks leads up to the present house (dating from 1935), which was featured in the TV mini-series civil war drama "North & South". There are still some original brick slave cabins, placed prominently next to the main house to show visitors the wealth of the plantation owner. These cabins were reserved for the slaves that worked in the house and the carpenter or blacksmith slaves. The field slaves would have dwelt in very simple structures which have not stood the test of time. One of the brick cabins would have been used by up to two ... read more

Steve & I and his parents Rinette & Brian drove from Miami, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2 and a half weeks. We stopped by the main towns along the way. Here are some of our highlights. FLORIDA Miami Our first impression of Miami was that Spanish was spoken in so many parts of the city, which made for a nice transition from Panama City for Steve and I. Our second impression was the beautiful Art Deco style of the buildings (dating from the 1920’s and 1930’s). Many of these old buildings had fallen into disrepair by the 80's but luckily they have now been lovingly restored. We took a Duck tour bus/boat through the city and into the Biscayne Bay where we saw the houses of the rich and famous (Puff Daddy, Gloria Estefan, ... read more

October 9, 2009 to 5 January 2010 Steve and I spent 3 months in Panama; neither one of us had been to Central America before. The people speak Spanish and it was difficult being understood - we seemed to use more sign language than anything else! It was the rainy season and very humid. We rented a lovely apartment in the Punta Paitilla district, on the 17th floor with a lovely view of Panama Bay and the Pacific Ocean. We could see the big cargo ships gliding slowly past on the way to and from the Panama Canal. We met a lot of retired Americans who were making Panama their home. They came for the sun, excellent medical care and were able to get more for their money (especially real estate). The Panamanians have been through ... read more